Coffee talks: The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on drug trafficking and drug use in Europe

The swift and radical changes brought by the COVID-19 pandemic and the related restrictive measures are impacting all parts of life in Europe, including the phenomena of crime and addiction. While the consumption and the sale of drugs remain a constant health and public security challenge for the European Union, the landscape is – as always – changing.

How does the coronavirus impact the accessibility and use of cocaine, heroin, cannabis, amphetamines, ecstasy (MDMA) and other drugs? Are there new patterns of drug supply and drug trafficking? How have law enforcement control operations, public health measures, drug strategies changed over the last year? What are the possible mid-term and long-term social consequences of the pandemic on drug use? What can we learn from this radically novel situation and ongoing change management? How should EU law enforcement cooperation follow up on these changes and what are the roles of the EMCDDA and CEPOL in this context?

Alexis Goosdeel, EMCDDA Director, and Dr.h.c Detlef Schröder, Executive Director of CEPOL, will respond to these questions and share their ideas and vision on these topics during the “Coffee talks – EMCDDA – CEPOL”. The event will be in the format of an informal, free-flowing dialogue between the two directors which could easily take place over a coffee.